(This article was written by M.H. "Mac" McIntosh, president of the business-to-business marketing consulting firm Mac McIntosh Inc. in North Kingstown, RI).
Here's a hypothetical situation for the media relations planners: Tom is a well-known technology editor for a leading business magazine. He's proud of his hard-earned
reputation, but it hasn't gone to his head. Tom sees himself as an "average Joe," one who works hard but still makes time to lift weights three or four times a week, spend time
with his family and coach his 8-year-old daughter's soccer team. He's a multitasker who reads his e-mail and industry news on his Web-enabled mobile phone and listens to podcasts
while taking the train to and from work in the city. Tom is in his early 40s and needs his glasses when reading and working on the computer. Tom's coworkers respect his down-to-
earth attitude and friendly manner.
Like any editor, Tom worries about the relevance of his articles to his magazine's readers. He hates wasting his time reading e-mails and press releases that have nothing to do
with his beat or his readers, and he cringes every time a junior PR person asks, "Did you get the press release I sent you yesterday?"
Now here's something for our friends in the agency world: Sally is the owner of a small craft and hobby store with three locations and an e-commerce-enabled Web site that
brings in nearly as much revenue as her stores do. She has a manager running each store and has outsourced most of the e-commerce order fulfillment. But she's not about to be
distant from her business, so she still makes most of the major business decisions herself.
Sally worries about competing with the major chain hobby store that just moved into town and all the new rivals popping up on the Web. She's always looking for ways to compete
more effectively, keep her costs in check, and increase her per-store and online sales revenue. She is also the single mom of a daughter about to graduate from high school and
with whom she knows she spends too little time. It all adds up to a lot of stress.
People Like Us
Although you probably know people just like Tom and Sally, they are not real; they are simply examples of profiles used in persona-based PR.
To implement persona-based PR, first create detailed profiles of fictional - but representative - editors, customers, prospects and influencers to help determine how best to
craft and deliver your key messages. Persona-based PR relies upon creating these realistic character profiles by using real-life data, observations and experience in much the same
way that characters are created for blockbuster Hollywood movies.
Persona-based PR is about getting inside an editor's or a customer's head and knowing what makes him or her tick. What does she struggle with at work? What pitches does he
respond best to? What does she think about while lying in bed at night? What do they do in their spare time?
Knowing the answers to these questions can help your PR messages cut through the clutter. If you're able to create a clear picture of your ideal editors - and your prospective
customers - you can fine-tune your marketing message to appeal to their interests, questions and concerns. The editors will want to write or report about your or your client's
company, products or services, and customers will want to read your stories or news. Why? Because you've let them know that you clearly understand what it is that they really need
and want.
Persona Redux
To get back to Tom: You can base some of your PR tactics on what you already know about Tom. He's a busy man, in both his work and family life, so a full-day press briefing or
evening event probably will not appeal to him. He'll be much more likely to read an e-mail, listen to a podcast or log on to a 45-minute webinar while sitting at his desk. He
might even "pop in" for a "breakfast briefing" on his way to work.
And Sally will be receptive to messages that give her hope that she can compete effectively and prosper in her business while still having time for her family. Especially if
those messages are backed up with examples relevant to her brick-and-mortar and online hobby business.
Understanding editors, as well as their readers (your prospects and customers), can help your company make decisions about smaller matters as well. For example, knowing that
Tom needs to wear glasses to read, you'll want to make sure that the font size in your e-mails, your press releases and the press section of your Web site is large enough to be
easily read. And knowing that Sally is worried about competing with one of the big chains, you can use case studies or examples to show how others have won the battle with the
help of your services.
Editors, and your prospective customers, will respond to offers that speak directly to their needs and wants as a business professional or as a human being. Keeping strong
fictional profiles of those editors and customers in mind when planning your company's PR campaigns can help you make important decisions with regard to what will cut through the
clutter and get your message delivered. Your campaigns become more defined and less generic, and your overall PR decisions become less about what your company thinks and more
about what the editor or customer thinks.
So...get out there and get started building those profiles of your ideal editors and customers.
Contact: M.H. "Mac" McIntosh, [email protected]